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GREENSBORO -- There is a delicious irony in the fact that the sponsor for the American Idols Live tour is Pop-Tarts, the toaster pastry treat.

That is exactly what was served onstage when the top 10 Idols from the 2006 season performed at the Greensboro Coliseum Tuesday night. One well-coiffed tart after another took turns exhuming pop nuggets from across the stylistic spectrum, creating a virtual iPod jukebox for the eyes and ears.

Don't mistake any of this for serious musical artistry.

It was glorified karaoke, well-staged and well-performed, by singers possessed of varying degrees of vocal talent, if not yet much in the way of originality or vision.

On its own terms, however, it was entertaining and even a bit endearing.

And I will give them this much: There was not a second wasted, as the briskly paced show found them storming through about 30 numbers in the course of three hours (including intermission).

The audience made up for the lack of numbers -- only 6,000 showed up, and a black curtain concealed most of the upper level -- by keeping the enthusiasm and noise level high.

An army of 'tweens and teens shrieked unselfconsciously for their favorites, and they schooled like minnows whenever an Idol ran to either side of the stage, hoping for a handshake or to touch the hem of his or her hip garment.

The Idols (especially the guys) often dressed down in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers, which gave them a fresh-faced kid-next-door appearance. And they seemed to be enjoying themselves like a class on a field trip.

From just to the side of the stage, I could see them doing goofy, pranksterish things to crack each other up. They were, in other words, professional but unpretentious.

As for the repertoire, the show lurched from one genre to another, from soul to emo, Bon Jovi to the Beatles, country-rock to "America the Beautiful." The 10 idols would appear solo, as duos, or in combinations of up to five.

Chris Richardson and Gina Glocksen harmonized well, Blake Lewis repeatedly brought the house down with his beatboxing routines (though his voice was on the whiny, adenoidal side), and four of the ladies did a choreographed routine in which Haley Scarnato wore the shortest skirt possible without risking arrest.

The five male Idols convened as "the Idol Men," playing actual instruments (except for the hapless Sanjaya Malakar, who shook a tambourine). Tonsorially, it was an interesting group, from Phil Stacey's bald dome to the ring-curled Chris Sligh, who looked like Al Franken with a perm.

Rock-chick Gina acquitted herself well in the talent department, while Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones excelled at projecting soul (though Jones' "I Will Always Love You" bordered on overkill).

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks came last, closing the show with a five-song set that ranged -- and I mean ranged -- from Pat Benatar ("Heartbreaker") and Bon Jovi ("Livin' on a Prayer") to a ballad she dedicated to deceased and ailing relatives of hers. She's a natural talent, with a big, lusty voice and a wonderful ability to inhabit a song, no question.

The real question is, what will all of them do for an encore after this tour is over?

Parke Puterbaugh is a freelance contributor.